Last Saturday I got a little crazy and went wild on the alien space ship flowerbed that we have in our backyard. When we first moved in, we were overwhelmed by all the flowerbeds and most of all the weeds growing in them. We decided to work sparingly in the "spaceship" for it was a lot of work and I was partially afraid that I would be trampsing through the homes of various animals and reptiles. Especially ones that are long, have no legs and slither along the ground.
The lilies and hibiscus stems finally started to turn a pale yellow, and the mums were on their last leg. With the weather being unusually warm, it was time to venture in.
We had just got back from a 1.5 mile run, was sweating profusely and I was just tired of looking at the eye sore front and center in the backyard. I put on my garden gloves, got another yard waste bag from the garage (this is probably the 25th one we've used this year), pulled down the rake and spade and went at it. We had grass in there that was at least two feet long!
As I was pulling clump after clump of weeds/grass from the soil, I was again taken back to the parable of the sower. God has been continually bringing this to my attention this year as I work in the beds. What kind of seeds of faith am I planting?
I started to realize the implication of weeds. Not only did they make our flowerbed look terrible! They also choked out the life of the thriving plants. The grass was hanging all over the place, the thistles were sharp and prickly, and the overgrowth almost made you cringe.
That first clump of grass was the worst to pull up. Not only were the roots deep, but they were strong. They held on for deer life for they liked where they were. But once I got that first clump out, the rest all came up quite easily.
It made me think of the sin in my life. Sometimes the gardens of our hearts are so full of sin that our outward lives are an eyesore for others. But once you take that first step to be redeemed, when you bow down before the Savior and he pulls that one clump out, your life and all the other things that you once held deer, just start to uproot and you're back on the path of salvation. All the sin that you secretly loved to do comes out in the open and it's easier to admit your faults and your errors and ask forgiveness.